Seamless stocking or sock and method of making same.



H. w. GRNZ. SEAMLESS STOCKING 0R SOCK AND METHOD 0F MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZB, l9l3 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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H. w. GR'A'NZ.

SEAMLESS STDCKING 0R SOCK AND METHOD 0F MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. |913 @MGM Patent-ed June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I H. W. GRANZ. sEAMLEss sTocKING 0R socK AND METHOD of MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY28I19I3 Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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EEnNaNN NEEN. ons, or CHEMNITZ, eEnNY, assreNoE 'ro THE riant or scnnnna'r a saLzEn NASCHINENEABRIK, AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, or CHEMNITZ,

i LESS STOCIKING R SOCK AND METHOD 0F MAKING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented d une 5, fgi'l Application led May 2S, 1913. Serial No. 770,371.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, HERMANN WALTER GRNz, a citizen of the German Empire, and residing at Chemnitz, Germany, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Seamless Stockings or Socks and Methods of Making Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or gures of reference ma'rked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in seamless stockings or socks and the method of making same, and more particularly in seamless stockings or socks havin cap-heels and French toes on Lambs knitting machine and the object of the improvements is to provide a stocking or sock which is made in one cycle of operations without removal of the loops and consequently without turning the stocking or sock.

To the manufacture of a correct stocking there belong the Vnarrowed leg, the heel, the heel-cap, the foot and the toe. It is well known to make the seamless and narrowed leg, the heel-cap and the foot on Lambs knitting machine, but it is new to work the entire stocking including the capped heel and the toe seamless and without removal vof the loops from the needles, consecutively4 in one cycle of operations and without turning the stocking.

Heretofore the manufacture of seamless capped heels has caused particular difficulties which were particularly due to the loops being pulled when widening. This pulling of the loops became so great that at last the seizure of the loops by the needle-bars became uncertain and rupture of the loops readily occurred.

@n the other hand, the manufacture of the toe was connected with the following diiiiculties. As the narrowing strip always oc curred heretofore at the right and left at the end of the needle-bars, the foot-loops and the heel-loops each had to be located in one needle-bar when making the toe, because otherwise a French toe was not obtained. rlherefore, as the stocking was located in another position in the machine, in which, for

example, divided groups of needles were used for making the heel, it had to be brought into the correct position for making the toe by removing the loops from the needles and turning the stocking.

My improved method enables a stocking to be made in which the pulling of the loops during the formation of the heels is avoided,

and simultaneously a French toe is obtainedv without removing the loops from the needles and without turning.

The pulling of the loops is avoided when making the heel by alternately first knitting two rows half open, and then knitting one complete circular row until the heel is iinished; the French toe is obtained by placing the narrowing strips in the middle of the needle-bars.

For the purpose of explaining the invention, an example of a stocking in various stages of the manufacture and apparatus used in the manufacture have been shown in the accompanying drawings, in which the same letters of reference have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings- Figure l is a side view showing a finished stocking.

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatical perspective views illustrating the old method of making the heel portion of a stocking.

Figs. 4 to 7 are similar views illustrating my improved method of making the heel of the stocking.

Figs. 8 to 13, are detail views showing on a much enlarged scale the formation of the loops in successive stages of the manufacture of the heel.

Fig. 14, is an enlarged view showing the loops ofthe heel and of the adjacent part ofthe instep in distorted form.

Fig. is an enlarged view showing the loops illustrated in Fig. 14 as they really appear. p

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatical view showing the tickler which is used in the manufacture of my improved stocking, and Figs. 17 and 18 are diagrammatical views lllustrating two stages of the manufacture of the toe.

ln order that my improved method may be more clearly understood, I shall at first briey describe the old method of making the heel portion of a stocking, so that in "loops 2-3-4 up to describing thereafter my improved method the difference will be clearly understood.

f Heretofore, in the manufacture of a stock ing the leg` section 123`41, inFig. 2, whereupon knitting was continued exclusively withy the the loops 5`-6-,7 so as to form the'heel. Thereupon the yheel cap was made, kand finally thefoot was knitted.

While on the machine the part of the stocking shown in` Fig. `2 and completed up to the loops 56-7 assumes the formshown ink Fig. 3, in 'whichfgure the corresponding points of the stocking have received the same numerals 'of reference. From an nspectionof Figs. 2 and 3 it will readily be "nnderstood, thatitheloops located at kthe `taneoiisly knitted.

borderline are rstrained in such a Way, that ythe durability' of the stocking is impaired.

The strain on the loops is such, that they are rliable to be torn evengin the course of the manufacture. y

My yimproved method is distinguished` from the method referred yto in this respect,y

that instead of knitting at iirstexclusively the heel, and beginning ythereafter the knitting of the instepfthe said parts are simulin Figs. a' and 5, itavefiiiustmad the heel portionof the stocking made according to my improved methody in a similar Way as' in Figs. 2y and 3. After the leg has been f broad transfer combs @Q -@(Fig. 16) Which can move toward and yaway from one another in the directions indicated by the arrows. The right-hand transfer combs 3, 4 are each provided with` a displaceable transfer point aand al, respectively.

When the stockingf(F.ig., l) is closed in a circle narrowed at the calf and finished up rto the beginning of the heel, the loops still suspended on the needles are divided into two groups, namely into loops for making the footy and into those' for making the heel. This is done on bothfethe needle-bars, so that the loops for theyfooty and heel lie, in 'two groups.k The heel is therefore formed on both needle-bars.

`In Fig. 8 only someoftheloops of the foot A and ofthe heel of the front needle-r rbar are represented. n

Fig. 9 illustrates kthe knitting operation f in a diagrammatical Way, and Figs. 10 to 13, illustrate the same by representing kthe loops.'y In Fig. 9 the full lines represent the row of loops of the frontyneedle bar, and

was at lirstr completed to the y remains lifted.

masser.

the dotted lines those of the rear needle bar. 'Row I represents the last circulary row of the leg which corresponds to the line 1-2-3-4-1 of Fig. 4; At first the needles for knitting the instep kremain in operative, while on the needles B knittingy takes place frointhe right to the left (row II) and back again from the left to the right (row HI), andy thereafterin the same way on the rear needle bar from the right to the left (row IV), and back again kfrom the left to the right (row V).

Before th fromk left yto yright, thus kbefore the change from the first to the second row, ythe transfer point a kadvances (Figs. 10 and 16) and stationary over the first latch-needle for the foot. The thread consequently kforms a loop b around this needle. The

sameoperation is repeated on the rear yneedle-bar when the transfer point a" (Fig. 16) advances. f, n

Now when the two transfer points aan carry loops, in order to be able to pass over the knocking-over .comb these transfer points rise somewhat from thegneedles located below and move one divisionl to the asy indicated iny dotted` lines in Fig.

right, 11,. This movement takes place in order to expose theedge loop of the foot for rbeing All' the loop of the footneedles are now of 4the heel n widened one needle division to thek left, n

thus toward the outside, as will now be described. (Fig. 12.)

While the transferepoints lie on the foot needles, and in order to seize the loops, the

ymovable transfer points, which now lie in the dotted line position,Fig. 11, are moved back so far that the loops 'b remain sus'- pended thereon, and the adjacent he'elloops 'below are not'engaged. Now the transfer combs a and i, move one needle to the left. As the movable transfer points ai, a are. mounted on the transfer combs 3, i4, the loops o suspended on the transfer rpoints o, a', are carried to the left by the movement of said combs 3, i4, over onto the needles at the right hand edge ofthe foot portiem-Fig. 12, said edge needles having been previously freed from their loops. y n

' After the widening of the foot-loops a row is knitted in a circle fr, a: (Fig. 13) on the front and rear needle-bar, thus the loops of all the needles providedwithloops are sunk, the thread carriermoving from right to left and back again. The thread carrier therefore is now located atthe right-hand itsP of the'machine and againk beginsfthe half-y open knitting in theab`ovedescribed manner. rlhis operation alternates with knit-y ting a ycomplete round until the heel' is all titl

neaaeea foot needles which become empty owing to widening, a thoroughly `neat connection y (Fig. l) is made between the foot and the heel, and simultaneously the tension or eX- cessive distortion of the loops is done away when making the round row.

When the heel is finished as far as the line a 1n Fig. l the cap is made by knit-Y ting half-open in known manner with only a small number of heel needles located at the right-hand end of the-needle-bars, and after each two rows, front and rear, these meshes are shifted one needle division inward to the rst foot needle c (Fig. 1).v

rfhe foot is thereupon made up to the' toe.

Now in Aorder to obtain the narrowing strips f (Fig. 1) without turning and without removal of the loops, as indicated in this figure, e. in order to obtain a toe having French narrowing, in contradistinction to the process customary heretofore the narrowmg strip is made in the middle of each needle-bar by the loops g and it being suspended toward the inside. For this purpose the abovementioned broad transfer combs are employed, two of them being used for each needle-bar. The process is carried out as follows The strip f is formed for example out of six loops. rlihe loops g and' it are lifted from the broad transfer combs and t,

and narrowed one needle division inward,i

whereupon the transfer combs return empty one needle division, thus returning into their original position. The same operation is repeated on the rear needle-bar by moving the transfer combs c', and 3.,

When there are onlyy six loops left at last, as indicated in Fig. 18, the two loops to the right and left lare narrowed in succession on the two middle needles, so that only two loops remain over which are fastened with a needle.

ln the above-described process of making the heel it was assumed that the foot loops were widened outward. llt is however possible to widen the heel loo s outward, in which case the emptied nee les will be occupied with a loop which is formedover the displaceable transfer oints. In this lcase the displaceable trans er points will be arranged at the left in the transfer combs 3 and 4. Otherwise the process is carried out in exactly the same manner as described` above, z'. e. after each widening a complete circular row is knitted. j

1. rl`he herein described method of making stockings or socks, which consists in :first knitting the leg' ontwooppositely disposed needle bars, thereupon simultaneously knitting the heel and the adjacent part of the foot with one part of the foot and heel loops carried by each of the said needle bars, imitating the foot portion, and nally knitknitting the heel and the adjacent part of the foot with one part of thev foot and heel loops carried by each of the said needle bars, knitting the heel cap, knitting the foot portion, and finally knitting the toe while narrowing the loops located on each needle bar at parts intermediate the'ends thereof.

3. The herein described method ofL making stockings or socks, which consists in first knitting the leg on two oppositely d1s posed needle bars, thereupon simultaneously knitting the heel and the adjacent part of the foot with one part of the foot and heel loops carried by each of the said needle bars, knitting the foot portion, and inally knitting `the toe while narrowing the loops located on each needleA bar at two parts interme ternately hitting at least one half open row of the length corresponding to the breadth of the heel and at least one closed circular row corresponding to the circumference of the heel and adjacent part of the foot, and after completing the heel and adjacent part of the foot knitting the cap.

6. The herein described method of knitting a stocking or sock, 'which comprises alternatively hitting at least one half open row of the length corresponding to the breadth of the heel while adding at each end of the half open rowy at least one loop and at least one closed circular row corresponding to the circumference of the heel and adjacent part of the foot and including the added loops.

7. rlhe herein described -method of knitting a stocking or sock, which comprises alternately-lhmitting at least one Vhalf open rowA of the length corresponding to the breadth ofthe heel while adding atV each end of the' half open row at least one loop and at least 011e closed vcircu'lar'row corresponding to the circumference of the heel and adjacent part of the foot -and including the liadded loops, after completing the heel and adjacent part `of the `foothittingthe los iis

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kpart of cap, and thereafter continuing the knitting of the oot.

8. The herein ting a stocking or sock on Lambs knitting machine., which comprises firsty knitting the leg with the loops hunglon two oppositely arranged needle bars,

rows of loops to form 'a part of the heel while adding a loop Abetween said rows at each end thereof and knitting at least one complete circle on the needle bars to form a the foot andheel, knitting the cap, knitting the foot, and finally knitting the toe while .gradually ynarrowing on both'bars 'at parts intermediate the yends,thereof and on each bar at a distance from each other to form a strip. ,f n y 9. The herein rdescribed sock or stocking in which the heel andr adjacent part of the y-foot consists alternately of at least one half openy row of lo'ops" extending the whole breadth of the heel and atleast one complete earned kmami of knie successively knitting on one part of each of the harsr at least two ilaasieee circular rowextending over the heel and adjacent part of the foot. f

10. The herein described sock or stocking in which the heel and adjacent part of the foot consists alternately of at least two half open rows of loops extending the whole breadth of the heel with an additional loop added at each end and at least one complete n circular row extending over the heel and adjacent part of the foot. l

l1. The herein described method of knitting yaseamless stocking or sock,; which comprises simultaneously knitting the heel and the adjacent instep portionk of the foot, and thereafter knitting the heel cap.

ln testimony thaty I claim the foregoing as-my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.k

y HERMANN' warmen salina@ Witnesses: 

